Telescopes
Man had a great passion for observing celestial bodies from time immemorial. There were numerous means by which they were observing the planetary movement. Until the invention of telescope by Galileo, great astronomers like Aryabhata, Bhaskara and Copernicus used naked eye and mathematical calculations to record planetary positions. In addition keeping the reference to the pole star and the positions of the stars relative to which calculations were made and the eclipses forecasted. In the Egypt the pole star was kept as the reference and the mathematical calculations made relative to that were used during the construction of the pyramids.
The telescope was invented in the 15th century and this opened up a new horizon for the space exploration. When the concept of solar system was proposed as geocentric there was no evidence to contradict this, but when telescope came into picture the heliocentric view was established. The olden day telescopes used to be able to provide a clear view of only the planets that were neighboring earth like Venus and Mars. But today we are able to stretch to the outer limits of the solar system with the planets in the outer ring like Jupiter and Uranus observed with ease. In the near future we will be able to have a clear picture of the dwarf planet Pluto, and with the current pace at which technology is growing it is very near.
Availability of new telescopes these days has widened the scope of astronomy significantly. In the olden days an not every astronomer could afford a telescope and had to rely on observatories for carrying out their studies, but today the scenario has changed with the availability of telescopes at very nominal prices. Today’s telescopes are more portable and easy to use as compared to the older telescopes which were bulky and cumbersome. The astronomical community today comprises of a greater portion of amateur astronomers who are keen to watch nature’s beauty as opposed to observing scientific phenomenon. There are telescopes like the Meade Telescopes For Sale that help amateur astronomers by providing affordable telescopes, which are portable and easy to use.
The telescope’s range differs widely and this is mainly attributed to factors like the diameter of the aperture which go a long way in determining this. The assembling of the telescope has become very simple with the makers themselves providing detailed instructions or help in assembling them. An amateur telescope itself can cover the Saturn’s rings on a clear night.